


Bronze and Gold

by deathwailart



Category: Original Work
Genre: Dragons, Fantasy, Gen, Magic, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-08
Updated: 2013-12-08
Packaged: 2018-01-04 02:21:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1075397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deathwailart/pseuds/deathwailart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>From one of the imposing sea cliffs of Sharesh, teeming with nesting sea birds calling back and forth to one another, a dragon plunged into the icy waters below, the glare of the afternoon sun causing his bronze scales to glitter before he was hidden from sight, smooth belly scales skimming the gravel and sand of the seabed. Instead of a dragon emerging, a young man burst from beneath the water with a laugh, shaking his dark curls free from his face, grinning up at the dragon still on the cliffs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bronze and Gold

From one of the imposing sea cliffs of Sharesh, teeming with nesting sea birds calling back and forth to one another, a dragon plunged into the icy waters below, the glare of the afternoon sun causing his bronze scales to glitter before he was hidden from sight, smooth belly scales skimming the gravel and sand of the seabed. Instead of a dragon emerging, a young man burst from beneath the water with a laugh, shaking his dark curls free from his face, grinning up at the dragon still on the cliffs.  
  
"C'mon Zayn!" He hollered, treading water as fish darted past his bare legs. "The water's lovely!" It was all the other dragon – this one gold in truth but appearing orange in the light – followed suit and soon enough another young man popped up, throwing his head back as he surfaced, dreadlocks sending a cascade of water flying.  
  
"It's freezing!" He complained, splashing his way over to join the other young man. "You're a bastard Nasir."  
  
Nasir only grinned, flashing brilliantly white teeth at Zayn. "We'll dry out over there," he said, gesturing to a nearby sandbar. "Warm up again before we have to head back." Zayn nodded and followed Nasir until the water grew too shallow for swimming, forcing them to wade through sand that sucked at their feet until they were out of the water and on the sandbar proper, naked and stretched out on their backs. Both of the young men were of similar height though Zayn was slender where Nasir was stockier, both of them dark skinned as all Sharesh natives were. Nasir was a little lighter, with hints of red-gold the sun tended to pick out; his mother wasn't a Sharesh native, instead hailing from Lanai, further to the east. Nasir's eyes were closed, full lips curled into a lazy grin as he stretched out with a satisfied sigh. Zayn couldn't help but glance down the long line of his body as he rolled onto his stomach and shook his head.  
  
"Hey," Nasir whined as water from Zayn's dreadlocks dripped cold water on him.  
  
"You deserve it," Zayn replied, shaking his head again as he lunged, pinning Nasir with an arm as he squirmed.  
  
"What did I do!" He gasped around the laughter he was trying to hold in, scrabbling to either wriggle free or pin Zayn.  
  
"Lured me into water that cold."  
  
"The cliffs shade that part, you should've known!"  
  
"It'll be fun, Zayn, you said. It'll be nice and warm, Zayn, you said. Let's go cliff dive into warm summer water, you said," Nasir teased, exaggerating all of Nasir's inflections.  
  
" _Hey_ ," he whined, pouting until Zayn sighed and shoved him, rolling onto his back to bask in the sun. "We even?"  
  
For a long moment Zayn pretending to consider it, stretching his arms high above his head. "Even," he replied at last and without even looking he knew Nasir was smiling. "Your mother's going to skin us when we get back."  
  
"Nah, I'm her little munchkin, she loves me too much. Joys of being the baby."  
  
"Explains that fluff on your top lip and chin," Zayn teased as he cracked open an eye – if he was honest, Nasir suited the facial hair (then again, Nasir tended to suit almost everything) but it didn't keep him from teasing him about it. "Thought it was a caterpillar taking up residence."  
  
"You're just jealous," Nasir retorted, reaching out to smack Zayn's hip.  
  
"No, you're just copying me and I was gracious enough not to outshine you with my superior facial hair."  
  
There was a moment of silence save for the waves lapping at the edges of the sands and the cries of the birds from the cliffs to the east.  
  
"You suited it though, why d'you get rid of it?"  
  
"Fancied a change, why?" No response came from Nasir for long enough that Zayn rolled onto his side, the soft sands shifting beneath him as he did so. "Oi, c'mon Nas, I asked a question."  
  
"I don't know," Nasir mumbled, scratching at his chin scruff the way he always did now as if to reassure himself that a good stiff breeze hadn't sent it flying, "thought we could match."  
  
"I think you need to court me before you do anything like that," Zayn teased and it got the desired reaction from Nasir: the little brow furrow and scowl as he rolled onto his side so they were facing each other, kicking sand at Zayn as best he could in the position.  
  
"As if, the ladies are lining up for me!"  
  
"Only in your head little man."  
  
"You have two inches on me-"  
  
"Two inches count!"  
  
Nasir curled up as he laughed, his whole body shaking and Zayn was little better; by the they'd managed to compose themselves he was breathless and Nasir was complaining that he was going to be sick between the last few helpless giggles. Soon they fell quiet again, both rolling onto their backs once more to warm up, enjoying the peace and quiet away from the city with all its hustle and bustle. They couldn't stay for too long when they had to fly home and the sun was already setting but neither of them hurried to move, soaking in the last moments of heat and warmth as the sky began to turn pink, the sun reflected on the still waters until Zayn groaned and forced himself to sit up, half-heartedly shaking the sand out of his hair.  
  
"As much as I love our afternoons of flouting responsibilities, we should probably make a move," he said, rising to his feet in one fluid motion as he started to stretch his limbs to prepare to shift back to a dragon once more. "Nas, up up up."  
  
"You sound like my mum," Nasir groused, dramatically throwing an arm over his eyes until, after some grumbling, he staggered upright too. "Home, clothes, dinner?"  
  
"Sounds about right," Zayn agreed as he moved to make sure they both had enough space to change back into their dragon forms with a thought, both standing six foot at the shoulder, long necks and tails and huge wings that they used to lift themselves into the air, flying up and over the cliffs to return to the outskirts of the city, always kept clear for any of them to land when they were in such a form – the quickest route to the sea and the beach was by flying and though there was room inside the city, it had always been generally frowned upon outside of emergencies. And when you neglected to wear your clothes when you transformed as they had.  
  
"Zayn, my shorts?" Nasir asked once they had turned back to their normal selves.  
  
Zayn pulled his own shorts up then pretended to look worried. "I...I don't see yours."  
  
"Very funny Zayn, hand 'em over."  
  
"No, seriously Nas, they're not here, you're going to have to go home with only your hands. Luckily, not that much for you to hide." Nasir's eyes went wide, hands automatically going to cover his modesty in preparation for a walk of shame before Zayn threw the shorts at him.  
  
"Why are we even friends," Nasir groaned as he quickly tugged the clothing on, following Zayn on the way to the city gates.  
  
"I'm the only one who puts up with you, that's why," he replied, swinging an arm around Nasir's shoulders, Nasir doing likewise as they strolled along and through the gates, the bustle of the market greeting them. Summer in the capital city of Sharesh always prompted traders to travel from far and wide, most of them the pale northern folk who fanned themselves and ended up burned red from the hot sun. The worst of the heat had passed for the day though – they tended to hide away somewhere cool until the heat was bearable for them and now they milled around, everyone haggling. The din was almost deafening but hunger coiled in Zayn's stomach. Dinner wouldn't be for a while yet.  
  
"Come on, let's grab something from a stand."  
  
"I hope they have that noodle thing, you know the one with the...y'know the uh-"  
  
"Yeah, yeah I know what you mean. My treat."  
  
Nasir lunged and hauled him into a hug, almost knocking them both over and into a passing merchant. "Sorry!" Nasir called, causing Zayn to wince given that Nasir's mouth was right next to his ear. "You're the best."  
  
"Doesn't explain why I'm slumming it with an idiot like you."  
  
" _Hey_ ," Nasir whined again, butting his head against Zayn's. "You love me."  
  
"You got me," Zayn replied mournfully before laughing and dragging Nasir over to the stall. "Two bowls of," he examined the menu to find the right dish, Nasir stretching up so he could prop his chin on Zayn's shoulder, "it's the northern noodle thing, the one with the mushrooms?"  
  
"Ah yes, excellent choice!" The vendor agreed with a wide grin, holding out a hand for the coins Zayn handed over and soon enough they were sat on a small bench with the noodles held close to their chests, twirling their forks around them as they ate.  
  
"I hate when everyone packs up soon as autumn hits, you just can't get these anymore," Nasir said mournfully around a mouthful. "These mushrooms won't grow this far south and they're really protective of their recipes."  
  
"It's from further east again, isn't it?"  
  
"East and north – you need the rains for the mushrooms to go properly. But it's close enough to Lanai that mum said she grew up eating this."  
  
"We should do that one day."  
  
"Do what?"  
  
"Go travel!"  
  
"I've never been further than Lanai," Nasir replied after a minute of relative silence where they watched the crowds as they enjoyed their meal. "That was with family too."  
  
"We're old enough to go have an adventure though, we know what to do and what not to do to stay safe. I want to see more than just Sharesh," Zayn said once he'd finished his noodles, watching a woman in a high-collared, tight-fitting gown of richly embroidered shimmering silk coo at a large bird of smoke grey and orange feathers, the bird whistling back at her, a small audience gathering to watch and cheer. "Although I doubt skipping work has done much to showcase our responsibility."  
  
Nasir laughed, slurping down his noodles, taking Zayn's bowl to hand them back to the vendor who smiled and waved them off. "Yeah, you're right, c'mon if there's anything that needs doing at your place I'll help."  
  
"You just want to see if my mum'll feed you so you get three meals one after the other," Zayn mock grumbled as he got to his feet and started to weave through the marketplace.  
  
"Guilty!" Nasir sing-songed, slinging an arm around Zayn's shoulders as they walked, waving at people they knew, stopping every so often to give directions to a confused traveller.  
  
Zayn and Nasir's families lived close to each other, just a short walk from one another on the very edges of the town. Zayn's family stretched back to the very founders of Sharesh long ago, his father an apothecary, his mother an artisan – she always had her own stall at the markets with her own beautiful jewellery, most of it made of finely spun glass that she made herself, every single item unique. Nasir's mother was a talented mage from Lanai who had come as a young woman to learn from the masters in Sharesh when her own home held no further challenges where she had met his father, another apothecary who ran the same shop with Zayn's father. It hadn't taken them long to become friends, Zayn's mother helping Nasir's to adjust to life in Sharesh with the fast pace and bustle of life and Zayn and Nasir had become fast friends – if you needed to find one, you were always told to look for the other because that's where they'd be, only a few months apart and attached at the hip since they were tiny and one family would watch the other. Zayn was the older of them and the oldest child in his family with two younger siblings, a brother and a sister.  
  
A sister barrelling down the path of Zayn's house as they got closer.  
  
"Nasir!" A young girl shrieked, her hair bound in many braids decorated with brightly coloured beads that clattered as she ran towards  
  
"Ghaliya!" He scooped her up as he spoke, swinging her up in his arm to kiss one of her chubby cheeks.  
  
"No love for your big brother then?" Zayn pretended to look upset, screwing his lips into a pout.  
  
"Ah, she likes the handsome ones, don't you Ghaliya?"  
  
Instead of answering, she ducked her head and tucked it beneath Nasir's chin; he could feel the heat that meant she was embarrassed so kissed the top of her head as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Oh I see how it is, this one struts up, all flash no substance-" Zayn began only for Ghaliya to turn and stick her tongue out at him. "Next time I'll catch it," he warned. And when she of course decided to test that, his fingers shot out, quick as flash to grab her little pink tongue, laughing at her shocked expression.  
  
"Isn't your big brother terrible?" Nasir gasped, pretending to be horrified as he turned with Ghaliya still in his arms, turning to look at Zayn over his shoulder with a dirty look.  "Shame on you Zayn."  
  
"Shame on you," Ghaliya echoed but she squirmed to be set down only to run to Zayn and to end up sitting on his shoulders when she pouted at him. "What's this? Betrayal?"  
  
"Big brother always sneaks her dessert," Zayn remarked smugly as Ghaliya started to giggle at Nasir's 'shock' as he staggered this way and that, pretending to feel faint.  
  
"Oh what a family I've befriending, traitors, traitors all of you."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, come on, I'm sure you'll forget all about it when we're inside and my mother is making a big fuss over you." Nasir only grinned at Zayn's words as they continued on and inside, both young men stopping to wash their feet in the basin of water at the door, washing off dirt and sand before each washing one of Ghaliya's feet, towelling them dry.  
  
"Mama, they're home they're home!" The little girl shrieked, racing through the house to the kitchen, her voice echoing off the tiled floors and walls, darting through the open archway to the kitchen, her bare feet slapping against the floor.  
  
Sharing a sheepish grin, the two young men followed quietly, peering around the open archway into the kitchen, the beaded curtain tied back and out of the way, bright strings of glass beads on gold and silver thread. The pair peeked around to where Ghaliya sat at the table, swinging her legs with a tall glass of juice set before her. Next to her sat Zayn's mother, eyebrows raised slightly. With deep sighs, the two young men entered, hands behind their backs, not daring to sit until she waved them forward.  
  
"I hope whatever it was, it didn't leave you tired my son," she greeted. Jamilah was a tall woman, as dark as Zayn, with her hair in a multitude of braids that today she wore piled on the top of her head with flowers woven between them. Jamilah had always been a great beauty of Sharesh and age had done nothing to change that – her full lips, stained a deep red, threatened to turn up at the corners and her amber eyes were bright with mirth as she watch Zayn squirming in his seat as he tried – and failed – to come up with an excuse.  
  
"Of course not," Nasir interrupted, flashing her his most winning smile, "we're never tired, are we Zayn?" Instead of answer, Nasir found himself on the receiving end of a sharp kick to the shin, Zayn's smile mock innocence.  
  
"Good!" Jamilah smiled, leaning across the table to pinch a cheek in either hand. "The herb garden needs weeding and watering, get to it and I'll bring you a drink in a while."  
  
"C'mon Nas," Zayn groaned, hauling his friend to his feet. "Off we go, I'm sure you're full of energy thanks to the noodles."  
  
"Noodles?" Ghaliya asked, eyes wide. "You had noodles?"  
  
"Hush hush Ghaliya, mama will take you for noodles tomorrow, does that sound good? Well go on boys," she added when Nasir was still in the process of being dragged to the back door by Zayn to shove his feet into a pair of sturdy boots he'd left there – he had more than one change of clothes and shoes at Zayn's and Zayn was the same at his house. A pair of sturdy gardening gloves were thrown his way and he followed Zayn in tramping off to the shared herb garden.  
  
The herb garden had originally been planted when Nasir and Zayn's fathers had both been apprentice healers to the mage college studying the healing arts, the pair sharing what little pots and spaces they could find around the grounds to grow their own plants and once they'd graduated, they had transplanted that to the grounds outside their shop when they had still lived above it. And after that, when they were able to afford the homes they had now, married and with a child each on the way, they had painstakingly moved it to the space between their land. Now it was larger than ever, neatly divided with all the plants an apothecary could ever need that would grow happily in Sharesh's rich soil as well as some that Nasir at least swore his mother had to have enchanted. She had her own plants for her potions and rituals though only she tended to those plants, a rule all of them obeyed. Nasir watched as Zayn stretched his arms high above his head, arching his back, hipbones standing out sharp and defined – before he could look away, he was sure Zayn caught where he'd been looking and he automatically turned to start at one corner of the garden. Now he could feel Zayn's eyes on his back as he knelt working away at pulling up the weeds, expecting Zayn to work at another corner so they'd meet in the middle. Instead Zayn knelt next to him, shooting him a grin. Nasir hid his scowl because he had no idea _why_ he wanted to scowl all of a sudden; all he knew for certain was that the flush on his skin wasn't down to working in the hot sun, straining to pull up weeds without breaking the roots or disturbing the other plants. From time to time he could feel Zayn giving him an odd look until finally he coughed and sighed.  
  
"Sorry, I'm thirsty, it's making me feel weird." It wasn't entirely a lie, he _was_ thirsty.  
  
"Hang on." Zayn tossed his gloves on the ground where he'd been kneeling and set off at a brisk run back to the house as Nasir closed his eyes and wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand once he'd pulled his gloves off too. Despite the thick fabric, he could already feel raw spots forming where they'd rubbed against his hands as he'd been pulling at the weeds and they'd barely started. _If you'd done this in the morning when it was still cool then the sweat wouldn't be making your gloves rub against your hands_ , he thought to himself, waiting for Zayn to return. "Here we go!"  
  
Nasir hissed like a cat, arching away as Zayn pressed a cold dripping glass to his back. "Don't do that!"  
  
"Ah, ah, ah, say thank you," the other young man teased as he held the glass away when Nasir turned to take it.  
  
"I will kick you right where it hurts if you don't give me that."  
  
"Fine, here." He handed the glass over, watching as Nasir took a greedy gulp. "Sips! Every time Nas – sips or you'll be sick."  
  
Nasir relented, sipping slowly, the juice cold and sweet on his tongue. "Thanks, I really needed this."  
  
"We can stop if you want – I can do it."  
  
"I'm the reason we're doing it now, I'll suffer through it with you, it wouldn't be fair otherwise."  
  
"We'll take breaks ."  
  
"And can you go to another corner?" Zayn's brows drew together as he frowned over his glass. "It makes it seem like we're working quicker when we meet in the middle..." He trailed off into a mumble, taking a drink so he'd shut up.  
  
"Okay." The reply seemed just a little too easy but that bit of distance felt good and together with the drink (and another one brought by Ghaliya) the time seemed to go faster but the sun was setting by the time they were done, the plot bathed in an orange glow as they staggered back to the house, taking off their boots and gloves.  
  
"Thank you boys." This time it wasn't Jamilah who spoke but Rauf, Zayn's father who stood at the stove cooking _something_ that smelled delicious and had Nasir's stomach growling. "Ah! Nasir, will you be staying for dinner?"  
  
"Thanks but no, I should probably head off home, I've been away long enough." Which was true although they were forever staying at one another's houses for dinner, not going home until late what with the short distance between them. "Tell your mum I said thanks for the drinks and sorry for leading you astray. And tell Ghaliya goodnight from me."  
  
"See you tomorrow?" Nasir nodded, waving to Mahdi on his way out as he shivered and tucked his hands under his armpits, cursing just how quickly it turned cold here as soon as the sun was no longer warming you. But the walk at least was mercifully short – he'd be back home soon and he wouldn't have time to think about why he'd been so odd after Zayn had caught him looking at him. Or why it mattered.  
  
Sighing he opened the door, sitting to wash his feet as his mother came down the stairs.  
  
"Oh good, you're home. Wash up and put some clean clothes on and we'll have dinner, from the state of you I suppose you actually did the weeding?"  
  
Nasir nodded, running a hand through his hair. "Yes mama. Sorry, it was a nice day and-"  
  
"I know darling, I always told you we were alike." She smiled, cupping his chin without caring that he was sweaty and covered with a fine layer of dirt. "I'll smooth it over with your father but hurry up, you being late for dinner or coming to the table dirty or dripping wet won't help your case. Chop chop!"  
  
Laughing, Nasir darted up the stairs, sure that a wash and dinner and talking to his parents would put today from his mind. Only at night did he toss and turn in bed – he hadn't noticed at the time but his shoulders and the back of his neck were sunburned, hot and uncomfortable but it was too late to wake his mother and his father had said the state of his hands was his own damn fault for shirking his duties to go and be an idle lump. It wasn't said unkindly – he was their only child, loved and spoiled but raised to know better than to think he could avoid responsibilities when his father had worked hard to get to where he was in life. Irritably, he got up from his bed, wetting a cloth to drape over the sensitive skin to calm it. He wondered if Zayn was sunburned, remembering all the times they'd sat and put aloe or some healing salve from Nasir's mother on the few burns they ever had but shook the thought away when he felt a churn in his stomach that felt an awful lot like anxiety.  
  
"Maybe I'm coming down with something," he mumbled to himself as he padded back to bed, lying down on his stomach with the cloth soothing the worst of the heat. "Maybe I'm heat sick and stupid." Everyone got heat sick from time to time, even people whose family had only ever known Sharesh. Heat sick would explain the strangeness and the dreams that had kept waking him, flashes of Zayn's stomach and the feeling of eyes on him, his strange mood and anxiousness to get back to his own house when they were done working. He'd do his work first thing tomorrow when it was still cool and sleep it off and everything would be fine.  
  
It still didn't make sleep any easier to come by.


End file.
